As of this Saturday, draft-age Ukrainians living abroad will have to update their data in a special register before they can use consular service.
Kyiv is increasing efforts to mobilise men who may be hiding from military service. Consular services have been suspended for them, which has caused a great deal of indignation, especially in Poland.
Manpower issues
While in the early months of the large-scale war with Russia people were lining up to sign up for the military, now officials in the country admit that recruiting news soldiers is a big problem. In order to encourage people to join, the Ukrainian government is allowing volunteers to choose where they want to serve.
“It is possible to join the mobilisation on a voluntary basis. There are up to 80 military bases where you can choose, find a position, make arrangements and join the forces,” says Oleksiy Bezhevets, mobilisation advisor at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
Even men with health issues are serving.
“I have bronchial asthma and, according to the requirements, I am not fully fit. But here I have managed to significantly improve my physical and health condition by running 18 kilometres every day and working. This has produced results – I am among the best conscripts and I feel fit. Even the medical board has decided that I am fit for the airborne or special forces,” says conscript Serhii.
But this is not enough, and Ukraine’s leaders have started to look for additional manpower outside the country. Recently, many Ukrainians living in Poland were informed that their expiring documents would be replaced. Ukrainians scattered all over Poland came to Warsaw in the hope of obtaining their new passports, but received bad news.
“I travelled 700 kilometres to collect my passport because I got a text message saying that I could do it now. I was already there at 6 am. This is the second day I have been in this queue and I also spent the night here, but nobody gave me my passport. What are our next steps? Should we block them? What do we have to do to get the documents we paid for?” said Bogdan, a truck driver.
His colleague Maxim did not hide his disappointment.
“This is a campaign against people dodging military service. They don’t ask us the reason why we left [Ukraine]. Why do I have to fight with the army if I left legally? The diplomats are already interpreting the law in their own way,” Maxim said angrily.
Recruiting Ukrainians abroad
At the end of April, Ukraine decided to stop issuing new passports to some draft-age men who live abroad. Consular services were also suspended for men aged 18–60. The only option was to return to Ukraine, where some would be served with a call-up letter. According to Petro Beshta, the Ukrainian ambassador to Lithuania, these were temporary measures.
“On May 18, the new law on mobilisation will come into force. The temporary measures that the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to take so far were aimed at ensuring that we streamline the processes and establish rules for consular services. By May 18, everything will be ready,” says Beshta.
All male Ukrainian citizens aged 18–60 living abroad will have to update their information in a special military register, so that Ukraine will know whether men of draft age who have left the country are hiding from the service. Only after updating their information, will consular services become available to them.
“We do not yet have figures on how many such persons may be in Lithuania, but they should not be many. Most of them [Ukrainians in Lithuania] are women and children. Many Ukrainians of draft age have moved to Lithuania before the war for job opportunities. This is a separate category, albeit a very large one,” says Beshta.
According to the Migration Department, more than 70,000 Ukrainians currently have residence permits in Lithuania. However, the head of the Migration Department has stated that there is no legal basis obliging Lithuania to assist Ukraine in mobilisation.
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